Betty,
Would you please give me an example of any of my posts that make you think the current situation is not good for my dog? Maybe the one about vacs? Or my being unwilling to keep a dog who is showing signs of being dangerous to people? Or maybe the other posters who got Kobe mixed up with another dog, therefore I am lying about everything I have written. Please share your thoughts on this as I am very curious.
I would love to have a good trainer to work with, but you are too far away, I am in Cent. Fla near Orlando. We could come up in the motor home and stay for awhile, any camp grounds near by?
Nancy

 Quote: Nancy Black

Kelly,
I almost ordered the DD collar but Cindy said it would not be good for the correction I needed in training Kobe away from barking at the door. But if this collar is what you use for hanging a dog that answers the question of why I have not been able to hang him with a prong collar! Some folks on a GSD forum told me about hanging being the best way to correct a hard dog but they said they did it with the prong, and I gave up as I could'nt lift him off his feet. Maybe I was using the wrong collar, do you think? Is the DD collar similar to the choke chain?
any idea why Cindy did not think this collar was good for corrections? should I order it anyway, based on your experience?
thanks for the tips on getting him started, but I still have doubts that he will ever be able to ignore that darned UPS truck, but it is more than worth trying.
Nancy

1. Are you talking about hanging the dog for barking at the UPS truck?

Even if I were going to hang a dog for barking at a truck, which I would not even consider, did you see this?

One point I want to make though, is that MY dogs were taught to respect the command BEFORE the distraction was introduced.

Again, this is a training and leadership issue.


2. Caveats about getting vet clearance were coupled with and then start management and training and pack work.

And these caveats were largely based on the statements about sudden behavior changes. It has become clear over these eight pages that there is nothing sudden about this.

I gather from the non-response that there has been no professional trainer consultation (I ask this because you are talking about re-homing and being beyond your training ability here)? No desensitizing work has been done and pack structure has not been addressed consistently?

The vet visit would be followed by these three items, IMO.

I would NEVER try to hang a dog with a prong. The prong was designed for quick "pop" corrections. The DD collar is used calmly to pick the dog's front feet off the ground. It is used generally for shutting down aggression in dogs.

Also don't hang a dog with a choke chain. That will do damage to the dog's throat. The DD collar was designed to be effective, yet safe.

I have used the DD collar when introducing new dogs to the pack to let them know that aggression WON'T be tolerated. I have used it when in public and Toni shows some aggression towards strangers. For normal training and backing up commands, the prong has been what I reach for.

I wouldn't use a DD collar for correcting barking.. have you tried a bark collar for that?

I have no idea what you and Cindy have talked about nor the advice she gave. I am just letting you know what has worked for me and my pack.

Again, I would PM Betty and set up a meeting with her and have her evaluate the dog. She would be able to show you how to give proper corrections and how to use training equipment properly. If you don't know how or when to use a DD collar, than I wouldn't recommend using it.

--Kelly

Yes Nancy, the dog I took in had other symptoms, the aggression was more like psychotic episodes. He would be perfectly fine,suddenly jump up on the person nearest to him, growl, spin in a circle, sometimes repeat this. If a person was not nearby, he would do it to shadows. This abrupt behavior change is what sent him packing from his home. I noticed physical symptoms like I mentioned in the last post.

My Dad is 85, my Mum 83, they took in a dog 7 years ago that came from a horrible situation, no training, high, high drive, nerves of steel, a dog that certainly thought he should be top dog! I was opposed to this as I thought this dog was way too much for them to handle at their age. They took him in anyway, I got the lecture "I have trained hundreds of dogs," "I raised police dogs," and so on, and so on...Ok, I thought to myself, this will stop him from walking the neighbor's Mali's ! They have done a wonderful job with this dog until the past few months. My mother has been ill, in and out of hospitals, dad home alone with the dog, the dog is now allowed on the bed, he's in the kitchen, on the chair looking out the window...I can't freakin believe I'm in the same house..dogs were never allowed to do these things,and guess what the dog has started doing? Attacking the door when the mailman comes, hates UPS, does it when I go over, kids, whoever! I know my father is depressed with all that's going on, the dog is now 10 and just started this behavior. I had to give Dad a wake up call that the dog will flip my Mother or him with this behavior...He knew what he had to do, the dog is back in boot camp, things are much better, even Mom's bald parrot is improving!

Nancy,

It is statements like the one following that makes me feel that there is a very good possibility that the dogs days are numbered in your house.

"Or my being unwilling to keep a dog who is showing signs of being dangerous to people?"

But is that really important? If you are willing to commit to working with the dog there are a lot of people that will help you.

I live in Suwannee County and we are littered with campgrounds, both on the rivers and off.

I also know several excellent trainers in the Ocala area if that would be a bit closer for you. In addition to one on one training they also offer board and trains.

Males can be kind of funny sometimes, I have males that if I gave them an inch they would take a mile and at the age of your male would probably show a lot of the same behavior yours is. They require a training style and even living style that is not natural to me and has been a long hard road of learning and mistakes.

Many, many, mistakes on my part.

Have you contacted the breeder and asked advice? If they know their bloodlines they may have invaluable advice.

Hi Nancy,
I think you have to decide if you are willing to work on these issues, or not (all assuming that the blood work is OK).

If you want to keep this dog, start here:
Pack Structure for Adult Dogs

If you follow this protocol, it's likely that you will get your wonderful dog back. If you can't make this commitment to your dog, then perhaps you should consider rehoming him.

Everyone here has the dog's best interest at heart, and if you decide to take on this challenge, you will receive a lot of support from the very experienced trainers here. Please give it some thought and let us know your decision...

I need a Care Bear....where is Mike????

 Quote: randy allen

Deleted by poster.

Ignoramus has nothing to add.

LOL! Wish I followed your cue!

We could just order magic wands for everyone so we could simply "swish" all our problems away! (Until the Care Bears arrive...)

Some breeds of dogs simply require more effort than others. I think you've chosen a breed that is more than you can--or are willing to--handle. There are many breeds better suited to a person with limited physical strength and a passive approach to leadership and training. Re-home this perfectly normal shepherd and if you must have a dog, find a smaller, easier breed. Everyone will be happier. Owning a dog should be a pleasure, not ongoing drama and fear. You seem like a nice and well-meaning lady. But you really shouldn't own a large working dog.